Method and machine for making wall board



Dec. 14 1926, 1,610,627

W. N. SPIRES METHOD AND'MACHINE FOR MAKING WALL BOARD Filed Feb. 17, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 @unam KITS.

Dec. 14 1926.

4 1,610,627 w. N.' SPIRES METHOD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WALL BOARD Filed Feb` 17, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 TTQRNEYS.

Dec. 14 1926.

w. N. SPIRES METHOD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WALL BOARD Filed F'eb. 17, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 60 IP J7 .Mm 755 i2 i7 '34 B i, pa

TTIS.

Patented Dee. 14, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEIY- N.` SPIRES, OF LOS `ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WALL BOARD.

Application led February '17, 1923. Serial No. 619,670.

This invent-ion relates to the manufacture of wall board. This term wall board desig-l maintain a reasonable strength, from 80% to v90% of the gypsum must be employed. The lack of strength when smaller proportions of gypsum are used is evidently due to voids `resulting between the particles of sawdust in the plastic mixture, resulting from the insufficient bonding qualities of the gypsum employed.

My invention provides a process and machine for making wall board, which will have ample strength and favorable heat insulating qualities, from plastic mixtures of.

a cementitious substance, such as gypsum, and fibrous materials, such asv saw-dust, By this process. is enabled the use of increased quantities ofthe fibrous substance and reduction in proportions of cementitious being possible to make a very and durable wall board from ture containing' equal parts o named materials.

It is an object 'of the invention -to form a 'wall board by spreading a plastic mixture, containing fairly large proportions lof fibrous material, between enclosing sheets and to thereafter compact the plastic material together, before setting or hardening,

satisfactory lastic mixby the` vtampingA lapplication of flat plate members upon the exterior of the enclosing 4 provide a tam sheets. l

It is a further object of the invention to ing device kfor use in the manufacture o wall board, and similar articles, Which travels forwardly with the wall board when it 'is`i n contact therewith.

The specific advantages `of my invention and further objects thereof 4 be made evident hereinafter,

In the present manufacture, of wall board,

material, it`

the above Referring to the drawing which is for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1l is a diagrammatic view illustrating the consecutive operations which may be desirably employed with my invention.

4vFig. 2 is a vertical section through the tamping machine which I have devised.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the.

horizontal slides which are formed in the supporting heads of the frame members.

Fig. 4 is a section taken upon a plane E represented by the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken 'upon a plane represented by the line 5 5 of Fig.v 2.

Fig. 6 isa somewhat diagrammatic view indicating the movement of the tamping members, and illustrating the action thereof upon the wall board as it is carried through the tamper. y

In' the practice of my invention, the `apparatus indicated in Fig. 1 may be employed. I

4A hopper 11 is disposed above a spreading table 12^over which a sheet 14 of paper` cloth," or other desirable'ma'terial is carried from a roll 13. As the sheet of paper 14 travels over the table, plastic material 15 is spread over the surface thereof by a spread-ei" 16 and an upper sheet of paper 17 is .disposed upon the layer of plastic ma` terial, this paper being taken from a roll 18 and conveyed over a roller 19, from whence the' sheets 1.4: and 17 having a plastic material disposed therebetween are carried through ply rolls 20, and then through a travelling tamper tween tables 22 and 23. From the table 23, the tamped board is carried between forming guides 24 and from thence onto a conveyor of considerable length, whereu on the fillerof the wall board,'which filler 1s composed of theplastic` material', hardens or sets;

My invention contemplates a means as herembefore described 'for compacting the `filler of the wall board so that' an intimate contact between the fibrous particles which are coated' and intermixed with the cementitious'substance is attained,fthereby eliminat- A t pe of machine which may be satis actori y employed for compacting the, ller consists of what I term a travelling tamper.

'Thisv travelling. tamper, as shown in Fig, 2,

Siiv

21 which is located bene y I is provided with 'a frame 30 composed of end members 31 which are suitably joined together in spaced relationship by interconnecting lmembers 32 and 33. At the upper end of each end member 3 1 a. head 34 is formed, this head being provided with a vertical groove 35 vin which a journal 36 An adjustable tamping table 47 is mountedl upon adjusting means 48 in the tamping, base 41 and has upwardly extending side flanges 49 between which the wall board designated as 50 is uided. An oscillating 'tamping plate 51 `1s disposed. abovethe adjustable table 47 and has blocks 52 formed upon Leach end thereof which operate -in .y the vertical slides 45 of the reciprocating, tamping base. A shaft 55 jextends through theA journals 36 and haseccentricpcylinders 56 formed thereupon* whichrest in bearings 57 formed inthe blocks 52 of the tamping plate 51. The shaft 55 may be rotated by means of belt. engagement with a pulley 60 or otherwise.

The tamping plate '51 'is veiiucauy Sud! able in the vertical slides 45 of the tamping,

' base 41 which in turn -is horizontally mov- 4 rocating able in the slides 40 provided by fthe heads 34. Therefore, it'will be perceived that the tamping plate 51 may be moved in any directon,but is'maintained at all times in vertical position; while the tamping base 41 may move only horizontally. Therefore, as the shaft is rotated, causing the cylindrical eccentrics 56 to rotate about the center ofthe shaft, the tamping plate 51 willmove through ,a circular cycle, being as before state maintained at all times in a vertical sition. Therefore, any point such .as in 'cated at 60 in the' plate will travel throlfgh the cycle indicated in Fig. 4 by the dotted circle 61. Owing to the engagement of the blocks 52 with the slidesv 45 of the tampingbase 41, thetamping .base 1s caused to travel horizontally in a recipmanner as the tamping plate 51 j oscillates.

-l Fig. 6 illustrates Kvthe sequence of relative movements between Vthe tamping` plate 51,

andthe tamping base 41.H At A thetampln plate 51 is. shown in raised position owlng to the` fact ythat the eccentrics 56 are..

pointed u' wardly Let it be considered that the S aft .is rotating` in the directioni wall board manufacture and are u by" the action of the tam er owing to the" indicated bythe arrow 70. As the shaft rotates through a quadrant in `this direction, the eccentric 56 will be brought into the position indicated in view B of Fig. 6, and

any point 71- in the tamping plate 51 will be to the lleft hand oscillatory movement of the tamping plate 51. Further revolution of the shaft 55 brin'gs the two eccentrics 56 into the downwardly disposed position, causing the tamping plate 51 to move down- Wardly and forwardly through a quadrant of its circular cycle of movement and into closer relationship with the tamping base 41. During this downward and forward movement, the tamping plate 51 makes contact with the wall board. 50 andduring such contact the tamping plate 51 and the tamping base 41 are movlngcforwardly or in a right'hand direction with the wall board, as indicated by the arrow 75. Thenceforth with the continued rotation of the shaft 50, the plate L member 51 travels upwardly' and forwardly away from contact with the wall board 59, and from` thence .the cycle of oscillation, and the synchronous reciprocation of the tamping. plate 41 is du licated.

It will be noted that the forwar end of the tamping plate 51 is sloped upwardly to provide for an increased width of mouth of the tamping members into which the nonf Acompacted portion 81 of the wall board, as

indicated in Fig. 6, may enter. In making wall board 'having a finished thicknessvof three-eighths of an inch, the plastic mixture or filler 15 is spread between the `sheets 14 and 17 vto a -thickness of substantially three-fourths of an inch. As the wall board in its wet state passes through the tamper,

'this thickness, as indicated at 81, is reduced,

by the compacting action of the tamper, to the desired finished thickness indicated at 82`in- Fig.- 6. f `The shaft 55 is adapted to operate at a` high rate of speed, preferably around 200.0 R. P. M. so that the tamping actionl upon the wet wall board 'is qvery rapid,V and owing to the travellif 'feature of the tamper 41, does not inte ere with the speed of production of the wall board.

In other Words, the sheets 14 and 17 travel alongl at the customary speedem loyed in travelling feature thereo when 1n compacting'contact with the unfinished board.

'j I claim as my invention: f'

1. The herein described method of making wall board which includes: placing a mix= ture in outspread disposal between sheets; and compacting said mixture together between lexternally applied plates operating ampered y 2 5 ing wally board which includes placing a to subject the material to a multiplicity lot tamping impacts.

2. The herein described method of making wall board which includes: placing a plastic mixture in outspread disposal beyjtween sheets; and compacting said plastic mixture between externally applied plates operating to subject the material to a multiplicity of tamping impacts.

3. The herein described method of making wall board which includes: placing a plastic mixture in outspread disposal betweensheets; and compacting said mixture together while still in plastic condition between externally applied plates operating to subject the material to a multiplicity of tamping impacts.

4. The herein described'method of making wall board which includes: placing the mixture in outspread disposal between sheets; and compacting said mixture -by subjecting the material to a multiplicity of rapid tamping impacts.

5. The herein described method of makplastic mixture in outspread disposal betweensheets; and compacting said plastic mixture by subjecting the material to a multiplicity of` rapidtamping impacts.

6. The herein described method of making wall board which includes :placing a plastic mixture in outspread ldisposal between sheets; and compacting said mixture while still in plastic condition by subjecting the material to a multiplicity of rapid vtamping impacts.

7 The herein described method of making wall board, which includes: placing a 4mixture in .outspread disposal between sheets: and tampingr said' mixture together.

` 8. The herein described method of making 'wall boardr which includes: placing a mixture'inoutspread ydisposal between sheets; and tamping said mixture together while it is still in plastic condition. l.

9. -The herein describedmethod of making wall board, which includes: placing in -outspread disposal between sheets, a plasticv In testimony mixture and compacting said mixture to gether between externally applied plates which subjects said mixture to a tamping action and travel forwardly A.with said sheets when in contact therewith.

10. In apparatusgfor making wall board,

-the combination of: means for spreading a mixture between flexible sheets; and means for tamping said mixture so that it ,will be pressed together in compactform.

11. In apparatus for making Wall board, the combination of: means .for spreading a mixture between flexible sheets; and travelling means for tamping said mixture so that it will be pressed together in' compact form.

. 12. In combination with apparatus for making wall board: a tamper for compact` between said members moving said movable,

member in alignment with said oscillating member. 16. In a tamping machine, the combination of: an oscillating member; and a re' ciprocating member, said reciprocating member reciprocating in alignment with j said oscillating member.

l`. l7."`In a `travelling tamper, the combination of: a horizontally reciprocating bed; an oscillating tamping plate above said bed;

and' means for actuating said bed and said tamping plate. whereof, I have hereuntol set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 8th day of February 1923.

' WESLEY N. SPIRES. 

